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Shift (2024), a trombone concerto by Lima, Peru, native Jimmy López, owes its inspiration to the Doppler effect. That concept explains the change in the pitch or frequency of a wave (like sound or light) when the source and the observer are moving toward or away from each other.
The concerto will receive its U.S. premiere by the San Francisco Symphony, under Miguel Harth Bedoya, in concerts May 29-30, with soloist Timothy Higgins, principal trombone of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra (and also principal trombone of the SFS). San Francisco Symphony co-commissioned the work, along with the Rotterdam Philharmonic and the San Diego Symphony.
In his program note, López observes: "Primarily associated with grand orchestral climaxes and epic themes, the trombone’s soloistic abilities remain yet to be fully explored. Shift is a step in this direction, placing the focus on the kaleidoscopic range of expressive properties that this remarkable instrument is capable of.
"Written in four movements, it is a musical exploration of the behavior of waves as observed through the Doppler effect (or Doppler shift — hence the title) in three different mediums: sound, water and light, each giving its name to the first three movements, with a fourth and final movement bringing all these elements together within the frame of a phenomenon called sonoluminescence.
"First described by Christian Doppler in 1842, the Doppler effect is the apparent shift in frequency of a wave between a fixed observer and a moving wave source. When the source approaches, the pitch goes up, and when it recedes, the pitch lowers. We experience this phenomenon on a daily basis, but rarely do we actually stop to listen to it. This is what Dutch meteorologist CHD Buys Ballot did in Utrecht, the Netherlands, in 1845, when he set himself to refute the Doppler effect. Instead, he proved it right, and he did so in musical fashion. He placed a group of musicians on a moving wagon while a group of spectators stood along the tracks. Everyone heard higher tones as the wagon carrying the musicians neared, and lower tones as they moved past them.
"We have come a long way since, and the Doppler effect is nowadays used in a wide array of real-world applications in the fields of medicine, astronomy, and meteorology, among others.
"Perhaps the most common example of the Doppler effect that we are exposed to in our daily lives is the wail of an ambulance or police siren darting past us with its characteristic downward pitch bend. Although interesting and ear-catching, imitating this effect repeatedly could get a little tiring and uninteresting after just a few minutes. Besides, there is much more to the Doppler effect than meets the ear.
“In my trombone concerto I decided to start by creating musical motifs featuring ascending and descending pitches, coupling them with fluctuations in dynamics that represent variations in volume due to the proximity or distance from the sound source. More metaphorically, I also use tempo changes (increments and decrements in speed) to represent wave compression and decompression; plus, I sometimes spread the same chord or musical gesture spatially among different sections of the orchestra to give the impression that the sound source is in motion. All of this, naturally, with the trombone soloist as our centerpiece and source of inspiration.”
The world premiere performance occurred June 14, 2024, with acclaimed trombonist Jörgen van Rijen (the concerto’s dedicatee) and Tarmo Peltokoski leading the Rotterdam Philharmonic. The San Diego performances will be led by Rafael Payare with Jörgen van Rijen as soloist.
Timothy Higgins joined the San Francisco Symphony as its principal trombone in 2008. Beginning with the 2025–26 season, he has served as principal trombone of the Chicago Symphony while on leave from the SF Symphony. Before joining the SF Symphony, he was acting second trombone with the National Symphony. As an educator, Higgins has served on the faculties of the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, Northwestern University’s Bienen School of Music, and the Pokorny Low Brass Seminar at Northern Illinois University. He also has been part of the brass faculty at the Aspen Music Festival and Pacific Music Festival and led masterclasses worldwide.
Along with his active performing career, Higgins is a composer and arranger. In 2021, Higgins composed and premiered his own Trombone Concerto, commissioned by Michael Tilson Thomas, with the San Francisco Symphony. Additional arrangements and works by Higgins have been commissioned or performed by the Chicago Symphony, New York Philharmonic, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Cleveland Orchestra, Detroit Symphony, Kansas City Symphony, Steamboat Springs Strings Festival and many university brass ensembles. A native of Houston, Higgins studied at Northwestern University.
